Service area · California
What to automate in your Instagram DMs, and what to keep personal
Small businesses in San Francisco run lean, and their customers can tell a canned reply from a real one. This page sorts Instagram DMs into the ones an auto reply should take and the ones a person should, and shows how draft and autonomous modes, tone settings and handover keywords draw that line in AYDUKE.
- Tone, style note, reply language and signature are yours to set
- Handover keywords send complaints and custom requests to a person
- Public comment replies run in their own mode, off by default
Free for 7 days, no credit card required
Automate or keep
Let the assistant answer, or keep it for yourself
Good candidates for auto reply
- Hours, holiday closures and how to find you
- Price questions covered by your own entries
- Booking a standard service or a class spot
- Transit and parking notes
- Stock questions answered from your Shopify or WooCommerce catalog
- House rules, such as "can I bring my dog"
Better with a person
- Complaints and refund requests
- Custom quotes, large orders and private events
- Anything about health or personal circumstances
- Press, collaboration and wholesale requests
- Regulars who expect to hear from you
Handover keywords such as "refund", "complaint" or "wedding" send those chats to you. The assistant stops and flags them instead of improvising.
An auto reply that still sounds like the studio
An example conversation, not a real customer. A small ceramics studio set its tone to friendly and added a short signature; class spots come from its calendar.
The transit note is an entry in the studio knowledge base. The assistant has no live transit data and does not pretend to.
Why the line matters more in this city
High rents keep many businesses here small: a two-chair salon in Hayes Valley, a bakery in North Beach with one person at the counter, a studio in the Mission that also runs workshops. The owner is often the entire customer service department.
Customers use polished software in their day jobs, and they choose independent shops because those feel personal. An auto reply that sounds like a call center undoes that. One that answers the practical question quickly, in your voice, and steps aside for everything else protects it.
Tourism and business travel add a steady flow of first-time questions, some in other languages, and the microclimates mean "is the patio open" has no single answer. Write those answers in your own words in the knowledge base.
If you came here looking for a San Francisco social media agency: AYDUKE is software, not an agency, and nobody from AYDUKE writes your replies or posts. It gives you the tools to run that routine yourself. An agency you like can keep doing the creative side, and agencies can use AYDUKE for their own clients too.
Settings that shape how the auto reply sounds
- Tone Formal, friendly or short.
- Style note A sentence or two about how you talk, for example "We say hi, not hello. No emojis."
- Reply language and signature The language the assistant answers in, and the sign-off at the end.
- Working hours What happens inside and outside them: answer, collect details, or say when you are back.
- Daily reply limit A cap on how many AI replies go out in a day.
- Public comments Replies to public comments are a separate mode, off by default.
Topic by topic: answer automatically or hand over
| Topic | Suggested handling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hours, location, transit notes | Automatic answer | Facts that rarely change |
| Booking a standard service or class | Automatic answer | The system only offers real open times |
| Prices | Automatic once your entries are complete | It only answers what you wrote |
| Custom orders and events | Handover keyword | Needs your judgment |
| Complaints and refunds | Handover keyword | A person should reply |
Reply mode is one setting. Start in draft mode for everything, then switch to autonomous and use handover keywords for the topics you keep.
Small shops where the balance matters most
Bakeries and cake makers
Daily bakes answered automatically, custom cake requests handed to you. More: bakeries, custom cake bakers.
Art classes
Class spots with a fixed capacity, booked in the DM. More: art classes.
Hair salons
Standard services book themselves; color corrections go to the stylist. More: hair salons.
Boutiques
Sizes and stock from your catalog; orders and payment stay in your own store. More: boutiques.
Freelance social media managers
Several clients in one panel within the plan's account limit, one calendar, XLSX or CSV reports, and a free reseller program that pays commission while referred businesses keep paying. More: freelance social media managers.
Getting Instagram auto reply running
Use a Business or Creator account
Instagram replies and publishing need one of the two.
Connect through your Meta developer app
The connection uses OAuth and your own app, with a step-by-step guide in the panel.
Teach it
Point it at your verified website: up to 500 pages, refreshed weekly, plus Shopify or WooCommerce catalogs. Your manual entries override the site.
Give consent and start in drafts
AI processing begins only after your consent. Read the drafts for a while.
Add handover keywords, then go autonomous
List the words that should always reach you, then let routine replies go out on their own.
Post things that prompt the right DMs
Class dates, new flavors, restocks. Schedule them for Instagram, Facebook and Google in the same calendar.
Hear your own voice in the replies
The demo opens at sign-up with no credit card. Set a tone and a style note, send your account a few DMs, and adjust until the answers sound like you.
Frequently asked questions
Can the auto reply handle Instagram comments as well as DMs?
Yes, in a separate mode for public comments, which is off by default. Many shops keep it off and answer comments themselves from the unified inbox.
Does the assistant know about Muni delays or fog on our patio?
No. It has no live transit or weather information. It answers from your own notes, for example your patio policy, and hands anything else to you.
We also sell online. Can it answer stock questions?
Yes, if your store runs on Shopify or WooCommerce the catalog is read. Orders and payments stay in your own store; the chat answers questions and points people there.
Do San Francisco customers get text confirmations?
No. In the US, customers receive a confirmation email and a reminder email with a link to view or cancel. You receive new-booking alerts by SMS and email.
Is AYDUKE based in the Bay Area?
No. AYDUKE is remote software from a company registered in the United Kingdom, with no local office. Setup is guided in the panel, and the contact page reaches us.
Other service areas
Ready to run your business from one panel?
Try it free for 7 days, no card required: connect your accounts, schedule your first post and train your assistant.